ACityDiscount and Bar Rescue Atlanta, Georgia

Spike TV - Bar Rescue Featuring ACityDiscount

Bar Rescue is a reality series that premiered on Spike TV on July 17, 2011. It stars Jon Taffer, a long-time food & beverage industry consultant specializing in nightclubs and pubs, who offers his professional expertise to failing bars in order to save them from closing.  Bar owners submit an application via the Spike TV website to have their failing establishment "rescued" by Taffer and his team of experts.

During this episode of Bar Rescue, Taffer and his team set out to transform a failing bar in Tucker, Georgia named Barlows.  In the beginning of the episode the team performs a surveillance operation on Barlows to determine its operational and service weaknesses. Based on these observations, Taffer then meets with the owner and staff to discuss his findings, and to describe the specific changes that he insists must be made for it to become a surviving and thriving business. He also examines the bar's financial records to find possible cost savings. Taffer has become well-known for his boisterous, no-nonsense, and confrontational approach intended to shock and push the owners/workers into making drastic changes.

Before the new equipment and supplies arrived, Taffer's team members trained the staff on methods of improving their product preparation, customer service, and efficiency skills. After the training, Barlows was put through a "stress test" to determine how well the staff has mastered their newly learned skills, menus, and drink recipes, under the demands of a fully packed house.  ACityDiscount employees were there for the stress test where they brought in large number of locals to act as test-patrons. 

Next, the bar closed for a few days, to allow design and construction crews to completely renovate the business. In order to make the changes happen, the show’s production crew turned to ACityDiscount.  They required bar and kitchen equipment and supplies in order to turn Barlows into a functional and successful bar.  We provided them with bar coolers, a commercial range, glassware, pie pans, bar stools and much more.  We also delivered, removed their old equipment and installed the new equipment.  With the help from many departments within ACityDiscount, we were able to complete the work in 2 days.

Once the overhauled bar was unveiled, going from Barlows to The Comeback, Taffer took the owners and staff on a grand tour of its new features, crediting ACityDiscount with providing the kitchen and bar equipment. Taffer then observed how the staff and ownership improved as he had them work a grand-re-opening shift, which was once again packed with eager patrons and ACityDiscount team members.

The episode will air in the summer of 2013.  They will end the show with an epilogue that usually takes place 4–8 weeks after re-launch, where the owners and staff will be interviewed to see if they have reverted to their failing ways, went out of business even with the rescue assistance, or how much better sales/profitability have become by staying on track with Taffer’s plan.